Year 2388
by Wolfheart91210
Summary: 16 year old Irisa is the only survivor of a world wide epidemic, until she meets 18 year old Luke she's had to survive on her own. Can she and her companion save humanity? Or are they the only ones left? Please read.
1. Prolouge

_Birthstone of March – __Bloodstone _

_Typical colors - _Dark green / greenish-blue with small red blood-like spots

Bloodstone is an excellent blood cleanser and a powerful healing stone. It heightens intuition and increases creativity. It is grounding and protecting. Bloodstone draws off negative environmental energy, helping to overcome influences such as geopathic or electromagnetic stress. It stimulates dreaming and is a powerful revitaliser. Gives courage and teaches you how to avoid dangerous situations. Bloodstone encourages selflessness and idealism. Assists in acting in the present moment. Bloodstone calms and revitalizes the mind, dispels confusion and enhances decision-making. Assists in adjusting to unaccustomed circumstances. Reduces irritability, aggressiveness and impatience.

Ideal for anemia, Bloodstone purifies and fortifies the blood. It detoxifies the liver, intestines, kidneys, spleen and bladder. Regulates and supports blood flow and aids in the circulation. Bloodstone reduces pus formation, neutralizes toxins and stimulates the lymphatic system, healing inflammations and infections. _(.)_

**Year: 2388 **

**Month: April**

**Days on my own: 3**

**Age: 16**

My Dad always used to say, "Every person is born for a reason. Each reason is used to change the world." Personally, I don't believe in such crap, but in my situation it's something interesting to think about. Like the old woman who was 83 and won the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering the cure for cancer; year 2080. Or the first reincarnated Mammoth done by a young 21 year old Geneticist in 2137. That was over 300 years ago, when the Earth was still a thriving living thing. Me? I never had a choice to choose my reason for living. It was forced upon me in the most unfortunate of ways. And that's putting it lightly.

In the year 2373 when I had only seen one year of my existence the TV screens all across the globe broadcast a 27 year old woman in a hospital in Africa with a rare and extreme case of malaria. At first doctors thought it was a kidney disease, then it changed to an inner infection of the lower intestines when the woman's appendix burst. Within three days of hospitalization she was sent to the Intensive care unit for a lung infection. By the end of the week she was dead. The infection had spread to her heart, killing the muscle. Curious Scientists fought over the corpse, wanting to see exactly how the malaria spread. One scientist named Rian Karxes got to dissect the body, but instead of rotting flesh the veins and organs of the patient were sucked dry of all fluids. The skin crumbled on contact, almost like dry cracked earth, and inside the dusty remains some kind of long parasitic worm was left in the gut. Karxes was able to take it to a lab and study it.

During the time Karxes was examining the parasite the rest of the world seemed to take the death as nothing. They were wrong.

Two days later four other cases on the coast of Africa showed the same symptoms and the same results. This 'extreme malaria' spread up and down the coastline infecting hundreds after two weeks. In a month the entire east coast of Africa was under a parasitic attack.

The disease reached Saudi Arabia, and spread east along the coast, it also went west toward Spain, infecting the coastlines all across Europe. People then began to panic, moving farther inland in hopes of escaping the infected waters, but from the ocean many other water supplies became contaminated as well. There was no escape, no matter how far or fast they ran.

It was March 17th, the day of my sweet sixteen when shit went down. Despite the pandemic my parents wanted me to have a normal birthday, if that were even possible.

Only ten out of thirty showed up. All the others were sick, or 'busy', which is another excuse for almost dead. It was a perfect birthday until my dad came home complaining about fatigue, the first symptom. Mom sent all of my friend's home, apologizing for ending the party early. Honestly I didn't give a damn; half of those girls were just there for the three hot guys that were un-infected.

Within the week my father was dead, a dusty corpse just like the rest of the world was going to become. In those short sixteen years the disease was at every corner of the globe. Beaches were deserted and coastal towns abandoned; luckily my location in Kansas City was in the center of the country. Our state was one of the last to be taken over by the disease.

By April 1st, 2388, I was alone. All the shit that my parents ever taught me about becoming a responsible adult couldn't help me when it came to survival. You didn't use money because there was no one to take it at the local grocery store. You didn't need a driver's license because there were no cops to arrest you. And you don't have anyone to slow you down, no one from preventing you to live. No family; or friends. This was my only rule: _Survive_.


	2. Chapter 1: The Desert

"The desert is a woman.  
Those who do not take the time  
Will never know her beauty.  
Appreciate her heat.  
Or comprehend her power."

"If you come to learn from her  
She will reward you with her ageless wisdom.  
Share her warmth with you but not let you burn.  
And show you the secret places where her beauty lies."

_**The Desert is a Woman **_**by Fran Fanning **

**Year: 2388 **

**Month: May**

**Day: 31 **

**Age: 16 **

To survive, you must be the hunter. You must know where your prey lives, what they eat, and how to kill them. Killing it is the easy part, finding it is another story entirely.

Sense my family died I've had to find ways to supply myself with what was left- an empty house, an empty neighborhood, an empty city; Ulysses, Kansas. It used to be home to about 7,800 people, now it's just a ghost town. All the residents either fled or became victims of the disease. So, with no one to occupy the vacant homes I've taken the liberty to use the food and water found in the buildings. Unfortunately, with the electricity gone and running water from the pipes at a standstill I've had to make due with taking trips to the old Super store a couple of miles down from the neighborhood. God bless the state of Kansas for letting me learn how to drive! I've never been much of the "athletic" type, even walking a long time gets me tired. Probably not a good thing when you're the only person left in Kansas… or am I? Can I really, truly be the last? In the state? The country? _ Impossible_, there had to be some people who were immune to it.

Sighing, I rose from the queen sized mattress on the floor, reaching up to the ceiling with my arms and raising on my toes. During the summer, sleeping closer to the ground always kept you cooler. Especially now sense the air conditioners had no power. Bending down I retrieved my light blue back-pack I had used from high school. No more did it occupy flimsy papers and schoolwork. It held an assortment of supplies including my switch blade and canteen for holding juices. I didn't fill it with water because it was not hard to find it, but any sort of juices that had sugar or carbohydrates I kept in here.

My switch blade I had acquired from my dad for my twelfth birthday. It had a long blade, a short blade, a toenail clipper, a mini flashlight, and a green laser point. I only used it to open packages of food or break in to the buildings if they were locked.

I now held it in my sun-tanned hand, my fingers long and thin; completely useless. I flipped out the large blade and looked at my reflection.

I had never had been one of those girls to be over obsessive with makeup or go over the top with my hair. In truth I used to be a honey-blonde, but to start out my freshman year I had decided to go for a new look. My hair was now a dark brown, the closest you can get to black without it looking "emo". My cheekbones were becoming prominent, and my lips fuller. Not that I cared, but I had to emit it did look good. The one thing I was famous for was my mom's shockingly electric blue eyes. It now appeared almost exotic with my dark hair and tanned skin.

Putting the switchblade in the back pocket of the bag I walked into the kitchen of the house I was currently occupying. It used to belong to a friend of my dads who was a local weather man. He died a week before my father did.

The house was simple, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living area with one of the new _Invisa-TV's. _

I plopped myself on the light brown leather couch after grabbing a _meal bar_ from the fridge. Apparently it was solar powered so it was still cold.

"Channel seven."

The TV lit up and once again the channel was static. This began happening about two weeks ago. First Europe's channels, then China's and India's. The only one that's still going is Japan's, Australia's, and a few of ours. I didn't even bother with South America or Africa, they were the hardest hit.

I took a bite of my bar. "Tokyo, Japan. Local news."

The TV turned to a skinny, bony Japanese guy who was barely making it through the opening top stories. It was obvious he wasn't eating enough.

On the bottom of the screen the English translation was explaining the extent and range of the disease. He reported about a million people have been estimated to be already dead in Japan alone. Then a map of China, Japan, the West Indies, and a small part of Russia appeared. All across the continent thousands of tiny red dots were clustered going thicker as it moved toward the coastlines. The disease was still moving by water.

"Off." I grumbled. I had not been brave enough to leave the neighborhood yet but I knew it would have to happen soon. Somehow I survived the disease, weather I was immune or just fucking lucky I would need to find out eventually.

I walked back to the bedroom, finished my meal bar, and began packing, stuffing all of my clothes and some small wool blankets that I had made with my mom before the end of the world. I zipped it up then grabbed my belt.

My belt I had gotten quite recently from a hardware store while trying to find another house to live in. It was black and had little gadgets attached. I only knew that it held a parachute from one of my earlier experiments with it; I still had a small bruise on my shoulder.

Checking the rest of the house I grabbed a couple of small snacks for the road and refilled my canteen with orange juice. With a last sigh I made my way through the door and walked toward the driveway with my back-pack. I didn't bother to lock the door.

I threw the bag into the back of my vehicle. The car was white and didn't run on gas, it was solar powered which wasn't a problem in a place like this when the summer days could easily reach the 90's. When it was cloudy it would move slower but it was faster than walking. Un-latching the small blade I stuck it into the key slot and jerked it until the car purred to life. Smiling I backed out of the drive way and into the vacant street. It was time to go to the super store.

After I got on the highway I noticed something was different. Small piles of sand had appeared on the road and the closer I got to the super store the more dead plants I saw. Once I reached the street that led to the store everything seemed to be leached of color and life. The piles of sand had gotten larger and covered most of the road. I stopped the car.

I got out and looked to where the store should have been, but now it was a large sand dune, somehow within the few weeks that I had not been here a desert had formed.

_Oh, God. _

It was huge, easily towering over the near by buildings and just barely touching the highway bridge. From where I stood, the sands seemed infinite.

I quickly got back in my car and drove back the way I came, thinking about what to do, and how to prepare myself. _If the desert did grow more and began to take over the neighborhood I would have to leave. But where would I go?_

The few months of world geography came back to me as I remembered that there was a water source not far from here, maybe if I found it would save me from having to leaving the state.

_But the disease travels by water. _

"Shit!" I banged my head against the driver's wheel in frustration. "God damn it!"

_Breathe Iris, just go; the water source isn't connected to any major rivers so it should be clean. And who knows? You might find some other people! _

I looked back at the highway, searching for an off road type of vehicle. I knew what I had to do. It was either travel through the desert or die.

Once I found a suitable car I took out my map. From a distance the new desert seemed to expand for many miles. If I traveled in the opposite direction I'd hit mountains and to get around the desert I would have to go a longer way and still go through mountains. Going straight through would have to do. Folding the map back up I stuffed it in a side pocket of my back-pack. I then checked to make sure I had enough food, water, and blankets. Nodding to myself, I stuck the small blade in the new car's key slot, listening to it rumble awake. "Let's do this shit." I muttered sarcastically.

~…...~

Driving in a humungous desert might not sound challenging, that is until you actually tried it you know you've been screwed.

I've already driven into a few sand traps and had gotten stuck in a matter of hours. I had wasted too much time trying to make sure I didn't get stuck again than actually trying to reach my destination which was still about twenty miles away.

Now the sun was only a sliver of golden orange on the horizon. I had to stop and set up a place to sleep. I parked the car and turned off all the lights. I didn't know what was out there, so I decided to play safe and sleep in the vehicle.

That was the worst fucking mistake I ever made.

In the morning, the off-Lander had sunken into the sand so that the tires were buried. There was no way that I could get it unstuck. I groaned. _Well aren't I just fucking lucky? _

I grabbed all of my supplies and managed to stuff most of it in my back-pack. I reluctantly took out a compass and managed to find the direction to which I was headed, and then with weary legs, I began walking.

As the sun rose, I fell. My energy was slipping and the _heat_… it was getting unbearable. I kept stopping and drinking from my supply, but drinking more just made me thirstier. I couldn't stop. Not now. Not from this.

My limps became almost rubbery, my lips cracked and my throat sore. Sweat was dripping from my face like I was drenched in water. _Water… _ I winced. I had no more. Even my orange juice was gone.

The sun beat down on me relentlessly, the fire increasing on my body. I was now traveling at a snails pace. All around me the ground sweltered with the heat of the sun. I was surprised the bottom of my shoes hadn't melted yet.

Panting heavily I slipped down one of the sand dunes, my face caked with sand. I rolled to a stop in the shadow of it, my breath coming out in gasps. _This is it, my short pitiful life ends here, I never even got to say goodbye… _With the last my body could muster, I laid there, and sobbed for all that I was worth.

~…~

Hours later I was still in the sand. My mind could barely process anything, I was dehydrated and exhausted. The grains had begun to literally burn my skin. I hoped I would die soon.

I could tell though, when a large shadow fell over me. Was it the sun setting? Maybe I could freeze to death instead. I was paralyzed; it hurt to much move, so I couldn't see what it was.

I freaked out a little when the shadow sighed, and the sand next to me shifted. I tried to open my eyes but they were covered in a thin crust. Then a pair of muscled arms lifted me into a sitting position. That was when I snapped.

Letting out a choking gasp I gathered my last remaining strength and kicked out, my foot striking against flesh. The person grunted, surprised against my attack, but I wasn't finished. I didn't take self-defense for nothing.

I let my arm swing around and punched the guy in the jaw, then kicked my other leg up so it struck under his chin, knocking him backwards into the sand. He landed with a hefty thump and grunted again. _Run! _My body screamed, but when I stood up I immediately collapsed back into the sand. I cried out in pain, my head throbbing.

I heard the sand rustle again and the guy, (if it was a girl she was so on steroids), walked back over to me and whispered. "Hey, Shh, your okay I'm not going to hurt you." He brought me back up to a sitting position, this time he kept his arms tighter around me so I couldn't lash out at him again.

"C-can't," I swallowed, trying to moisturize my throat. "See." I croaked.

I then felt coarse hands brushing away the sand on my face and around my eyes. I was finally able to force my eyes open.

Looking into his face was a shock. I hadn't seen or spoken to another human being in over a month, which of course messes with your head. He had a strong jaw, and a slightly crooked nose. His eyes were a weird bluish-green color, and his hair was cropped short and a light sandy brown. His face in general was overall pretty handsome, but considering we were in the middle of a desert and I was close to being dead I could hardly give a shit about what he looked like, I needed water and food, fast.

He looked at me curiously, probably wondering what I was doing all the way out here. I was wondering the same thing about him.

"What's your name?" He asked. His voice was deep, obviously hinting he was much older than me.

"W- Water." I croaked. "Then names." My hands were shaking.

He nodded. "Wait here I'll be right back." He stood and sprinted up to the other side of the dune.

I snorted. _What else can I do you moron? _

He came back with an army type bag that he carried over one shoulder. I hope he didn't steal that.

He set it down next to me and un-zipped it, then he took out a bottle of purified water and the exact same meal-bar I had this morning. I took them gratefully.

During the time I was eating he had somehow managed to start a fire, I hadn't even noticed that the sun was almost gone. I sat up fully, watching him closely. He seemed comfortable where he was. He didn't constantly look around like I had; he was calm, and sure of himself. This made me a little jealous. _Why couldn't I be like that? _

He then looked up at me, noticing me watching him. "What?" He said defensively.

I shrugged. "I'm finished. I'm Irisa, from Ulysses, Kansas." I held out my hand.

He looked at my hand then at me, and shook my hand. "Names Luke, from California." His arm muscles were very defined; he probably used to work out a lot.

My eyes widened. "You're a long way from home. How did you end up here?"

"The desert. I didn't want to go through the mountains. I've been trying to find a clean water source that I can stay at for a while." He responded. His voice sounded reserved, like he was cautious.

I nodded. "Same here." I took a swig from my water bottle.

His eyes then became softer. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled slightly. "Much better. Thank you, for saving me."

He smiled back, a much broader one than I did. "Well I couldn't just let a little lady like you die alone in the desert." He chuckled.

I huffed. "Whatever." I muttered. "And just to let you know I'm not some hopeless "little lady" I could kick your ass any day." _Yea, right. _

He laughed. "Yea, right."

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _

I rolled my eyes at him. "I did manage to land you on your back." I boasted.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "True, I was surprised I'll give you that. You seem tough."

"Well only the tough ones are alive now, aren't they?" I looked solemnly at him.

His eyes turned downcast. "Yea, only the tough ones."

It became silent. The truth of our words hitting us. Were we the only tough ones?

"I guess this is the only time I'll ever say this but, thank you desert." He chuckled.

I raised my eyebrow at him.

He said, "The desert. It brought me to you. Now I'm not the only one anymore." He smiled.

I sighed. "Yea, I guess it did."


	3. Chapter 2: The Furnace

**Hey guys! I know a lot of you are still a bit unsure about this story, but I'm hoping with this chapter that you will begin to see what I have in store for it. Enjoy!**

**As a side note; no I have not started on part 2 of the Interrogation in Unforgotten. School has been keeping me on a tight leash but I promise I will get it up soon.**

**- Wolfy **

**Year: 2388**

**Month: June**

**Day: 33**

**Age: 16**

Sleeping in the desert isn't exactly what most people would think is safe. At night the temperature can easily drop below freezing and nocturnal creatures come out to hunt when the hot temperatures evaporate, but it isn't as terrifying when you have someone to face it all with you.

Ever sense Luke had found me close to death two days ago things have gotten better. He seems to know everything there is to know about the desert; the best places to find food, special plants for quenching your thirst, and making shelter from the extreme weather. Within the two days of being with him I felt more safe then I had been when I was taking care of myself in my hometown of Ulysses, Kansas.

"I think we should stop for the night." Luke said, the sweat on his brow glistening in the sinking rays of the setting sun over the sand dunes.

I nodded, too tired to speak. Today we got up early in hopes to cover plenty of distance before the heat started, but like the previous day our pace was forced to slow by the afternoon. If we didn't want to die from heat exhaustion we had to take breaks periodically throughout the day. We would have been to our destination by tonight if not for it.

"Are you doing ok? If we make it past these dunes there should be a place we can set up camp for the night." He continued, putting his rough, hard worked hand on my smooth sun baked shoulder. He always asked me the same question when it came close to the end of the day. As annoying as it was, I took comfort in them, knowing that he did save my life and continues to do so every day.

"Yea, I'm fine. Let's just climb these fucking things so I can sleep." I muttered, his chuckle springing into the air as he and I trudged up the last sand dune.

He was right of course, by the time we got over the sand dunes there was just enough light to pick out a group of palm tree's half sticking out of the sand, as if they had been buried. Off to the side a large patch of cacti grew, perfect for extracting water.

I gave a sigh of relief and stumbled over to the nearest palm, letting my back lean against the rough bark and sliding down until my butt hit the hot sand. Luke gave me my back pack that he had been carrying for me then walked over to the cactus to refill our water canteens. Standing I decided to make a fire, but before I could even tear down the first leaf of the palm tree Luke was standing over me like an intimidating predator.

"No fire tonight." He said with a hard edge to his voice.

I gazed at him with confusion. "Why not? It'll get too cold and we'll freeze." I said, ignoring him and tiptoeing on my feet, tearing off a strip from the palm's big spikey leaf.

Suddenly his big hand was wrapped around my arm like a bear trap. "I said no. We don't want to attract unwanted attention." He almost growled.

I pulled my arm away from him, dropping the strip and rubbing where he had grabbed me. "Jeez what's your problem? We've been lighting fires for two nights now, what's wrong with making one here?" I protested, my voice becoming louder from my frustration.

He narrowed his blue-green eyes. "There's a nuclear power plant near here, it's one of the ones that started leaking when the workers got sick and couldn't monitor it properly. The town nearby had a petting zoo." He said, reaching in his bag to take out a small bundled up foil blanket and walking into the long shadows in between the two palm trees and spreading it out, setting his army bag on top and sitting down next to it, taking a few gulps of water from his canteen.

"Oh." Was all I could muster up. In the chaos of the pandemic there was also a problem with the nuclear plants. Thousands of them had started becoming unstable with all their workers dropping dead from the new disease. While my mother was still alive the news displayed horrifying images of plants exploding or leaking, radiation getting into the air or saturating nearby towns or cities…which also held public zoos, petting zoos, and your typical house pets. As predicted, these animals became chemically exposed to the radiation, but something happened to them. The radiation caused severe and sometimes fatal mutations. Most of the exposed animals didn't even look like themselves anymore. Now, according to the last worldwide broadcast in America, at least 60% of them are dead, dying, or un-affected by the radiation, but the other 40% have adapted to their changed bodies and even hang around the nuclear plants, as if they wish to mutate even more…

Those are the ones that Luke doesn't want to get noticed by. They are usually aggressive and highly territorial, even more so than when they were normal animals.

Luke took out a second foil blanket and using the first one as a sort of matt he lied down and spread the new one over him. Lifting up a section of it he patted the foil blanket under him and grinned at me. "Looks like we're going to be cuddling up for the night; hope you don't have intimacy issues." He laughed.

I knew I was blushing like a nervous little girl. I learned only yesterday that he is only eighteen, a few years older than me even though he looks like a 25 year old. Plus as much as I hate to admit it, he is insanely attractive for a guy from California. To me, most of them look like beach boy hippies.

"Um, are you sure about that? I could just…uh, sleep next to the palm tree…" I stammered. _I have never in my life slept with a guy, like, sleeping, not…you know…_

I could tell he rolled his eyes even though it was getting close to being pitch black. "I think a human body is much warmer than tree bark. Besides, I don't want to freeze to death. So get over here and be my furnace." He joked and motioned for me to come lay next to him again, his big smile too hard to resist.

Laughing I said, "Alright." and crawled underneath the blanket, hesitantly cuddling up to his huge brawly frame, feeling like a little kid next to a warm, animated boulder.

He put his arm under my head, his other one resting over my waist and circling me in a firm and very toasty embrace. I rested my head on his chest and placed both my hands on his peck, feeling his heart beat under his shirt. It felt like I was holding my breath, my whole body as stiff as a wooden plank.

He seemed to be fine, his breathing steady, heart rate constant, and the way he had his arm wrapped around my waist seemed like he'd done this many times before. _Oh god, what if he has?_

"You're very small." He suddenly said, startling me from my less than appropriate thoughts.

"Um, you're very big." I stammered, my dirty thoughts turning to; _What the hell?_

He laughed, making my body bounce a bit against his. "I mean that in a very non offensive way. Most girls I used to know were a bit…bigger." He commented, pinching my hip that jutted out on the side.

I frowned, pushing his hand away from my hip and rolling over so I was facing the closest palm tree to us; at least, I think it was there. It was too dark to tell shapes anymore. "I used to have more meat on me, but living on your own for a month in a ghost town doesn't really help keep the weight on." I snapped, knowing I was acting ridiculous, but still. I had gone through hell. I shouldn't be ridiculed for not having a woman's body. Before the pandemic hit I was 150lbs, now I'm only 103lbs last time I checked. Any curves I once had vanished within the month.

Luke sighed, tugging on my elbow. "Hey, I'm sorry. I…I just never noticed till now how bony you are. You haven't been eating much." He said, his voice gentle, reminding me briefly of my father who had always encouraged me to "eat like a man."

I shrugged, still not turning towards him. "We've been living off meal bars. I don't think I can gain much weight from that." I told him blankly.

"Right." He clipped, not touching me again for the rest of the night.

~….~

The next morning we barely spoke, both of us focused on the journey ahead of us. By tonight we planned to arrive at the oasis I had previously spotted on my road map before leaving Ulysses. Luke again was carrying both his bag and my bright blue back pack, his face set in a permanent determined scowl, the corners of his lips pointed downward. Once in a while he would glance up at the rising sun, looking at it like it was his arch enemy. In this instance it was.

I followed in his shadow, entertaining myself by stepping into his deep footprints. I had to hop a bit, but it kept me from going crazy. Staring at nothing but flat boring orange sand can really do the trick.

The wind had picked up, blasting us with hot grains of sand. I instantly regretted traveling with my dark jean shorts. With my weight loss they were now baggy around my legs and let sand be swept into parts of my body I'd rather keep sand free. Luke had rolled up his army combat pants, his lean tan legs easily making it over the dunes, not seeming to be bothered by the blasting sand. In an attempt to use his big shape to my advantage, I sprung forward so I could walk next to him, his body blocking most of the sun, sand, and wind. He looked over at me, than turned forward once again, his head bent downward so sand wouldn't get in his eyes.

For a while we walked like that, him facing the full blast of the sandy winds while I hid in his shadow. The sun was now high in the sky, and the winds were still blowing sand in our faces.

"Luke! Why haven't the winds blown out by now?!" I called, raising my voice over the torrent.

Luke looked at me then stopped, scanning the horizon. I stood there, huddling in his shadow with my pack back held over my head. I had grabbed it from him as the sand blast started to get worse.

Suddenly Luke stiffened; he had his gaze fixed behind us, his jaw clenched and blue green eyes wide. Before I could turn my head and look he had scooped me up like a rag doll and held me cradled in his arms along with my backpack, shielding me as he took off running at a ridiculous pace.

"What's going on?! Why are you running?" I shrieked, alarmed by his sudden take off.

"Sandstorm!" He gasped, rolling down a sand dune and getting up without crushing me, running now on flat harder sand. My body felt like it was is some sort of car on a bumpy road. My teeth clattered together and the roaring of the approaching storm was deafening in my ears. I had seen a few sandstorms, but none of them sounded like this.

Wanting to take a look I poked my head out from the crook of his arm and leaned my neck over his shoulder to cast my gaze out behind us. What I saw stopped my heart.

It was still a ways behind us, but its shadow was closing in on us. The storm cloud stretched for miles either way and was way taller than your average 10,000 foot dust storm. I couldn't even make out the top of it.

Luke booked it, his legs flying over the ground. Ahead I could make out a cluster of palm trees and I felt a flicker of hope. _We had made it to the oasis! _

Luke could also see them, and incredibly his pace quickened. His breathing now a loud grunting pant as the dust storm got closer and closer, chasing us down like wild gazelles on the African plain. I held on for dear life, praying that we would make it to the oasis and not lose it in the dust storm.

"Hold your breath! Don't let any water in!" Luke suddenly shouted.

Without giving it a second thought I did what I was told, taking a deep breath as we suddenly became air born, the dust storm on our heels as we plunged into a deep pond, both our bodies protected as the harsh sand winds blew over us.

Still in his arms we waited for what seemed close to a full minute before having to surface to breathe. Thankfully, the dust storm had weakened and was now clearing out as it moved on to its next victims. We looked at each other, still keeping a float in the pond. We laughed.

~….~

"Can you believe how big that sandstorm was? That thing was like… a freak of nature."

"No kidding. I still can't believe that we made it. Though, I think you're more of a freak of nature then that Sandstorm."

"Oh am I really?"

"Hmmhm."

We both laughed again, our wet clothes swaying in the breeze on one of the twisted palm trees as we laid on one of Luke's heated foil blankets beside the pond. Luke was on his side, his head propped up by his large hand. I was lying on my back, my spare shirt lifted over my stomach as I rubbed it, my other hand acting as a pillow behind my head. Thanks to the oasis there had been more things to choose from for eating. I just hope that bird didn't mind.

The sun was sinking in the sky, a beautiful array of oranges, yellows, reds, and purples creating our very own water painting in the sky. I sighed, my eyelids drooping as I relaxed. For the first time in weeks, I was full, safe, and no longer alone.

Luke poked my belly, making me groan and laugh at the same time. "Stop it, I don't want to puke." I complained, rolling over and pinching his stomach which was covered by a white v-neck t-shirt.

Luke grinned. "It'd be kinda funny to see you puke."

I rolled my eyes at him, copying his position and propping my head up with my hand. "No it wouldn't! That would totally suck. Plus I don't think you would want half-digested bird puked all over you." I teased.

He shrugged, his blue green eyes sparkling with humor. "True, that would probably not be good."

We both laughed again, this time though we stopped, as something caught our gazes in the darkening portion of the sky.

A shooting star.

It flashed by in a heart-beat, but it felt longer because there was nothing blocking our view of the whole sky besides the palm tree behind us. The comet blazed a radiant trail of white fire, and disappeared into the horizon.

"Make a wish."

I turned to see Luke sitting up, his arms hanging on his knees as he looked down at me with a warm smile.

Smiling back up at him, I sat up as well, tilting my head as I thought of a wish. The truth was, I had never wished on a shooting star before.

_But what should I wish for? What do I want to wish for? The revival of my dying species? A second chance in another universe where I could have a loving family and a normal teenage life?_

"I wish…I wish…I wish that I-"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Luke interrupted his eyes full of understanding. _What is there to wish for when there is nothing left?_

I nodded. "Ok. Well what about you? Did you make a wish?" I asked, changing the subject from me to him.

He shrugged, a guilty grin appearing on his lips. "Maybe I did…but maybe I didn't…dun dun dun!"

I laughed, holding my stomach sense it was hurting from the movement. "Oh the drama, haha. So what did you wish for?"

He looked straight at me, his blue green eyes reflecting the last of the fading sun, his hair all messed up with sand still sticking to a few of the strands.

He leaned toward me, grabbing my arm, gently, and tugging me toward him. My heart leaped ecstatically and I was pulled in to his lap when he said, "I wished that I could spend tonight with a beautiful young furnace." He whispered, never taking his eyes away from mine as he cradled me in his warm embrace, his eyes glinting with humor, but also with something else that I couldn't put a name to.

I couldn't help but smile and let out a small giggle as I sat there in his arms. I could tell that this was an apology for last night and I didn't know what to say, but I think that it was ok. We didn't need to say anything.

Then, like the night before, we laid side by side in each other's arms, sharing the warmth of our furnaces.


End file.
